Screen-Based Controls (Widgets)

In order to interact with a Web site, users usually require the use of screen-based controls (sometimes known as 'widgets'). Besides the pervasive link, commonly used screen-based controls include pushbuttons, radio buttons, check boxes, drop-down lists and entry fields. Designers should ensure that they use familiar widgets in a conventional or commonly-used manner.

When pushbuttons are used, ensure that they look like pushbuttons and that they are clearly labeled. In some cases, the pushbuttons will need to be prioritized to facilitate their proper use.

Radio buttons are used to select from among two or more mutually-exclusive selections. Check boxes should be used to make binary choices, e.g., 'yes' or 'no.' Drop-down lists are generally used to select one item from among many. To speed user performance, show default values when appropriate, and do not limit the number of viewable list box options.

Entry fields are used when completing forms and entering text into search boxes. Designers should try to minimize the amount of information entered by users. Each entry field should be clearly and consistently labeled, with the labels placed close to the entry fields. Designers should also clearly distinguish between 'required' and 'optional' data entry fields, and attempt to minimize the use of the Shift key.

To facilitate fast entry of information, designers should automatically place the cursor in the first data entry field, provide labels for each field (e.g., pounds, miles, etc.), and provide auto-tabbing functionality. In order to increase accuracy of data entry, partition long data items into smaller units, enable the software to automatically detect errors, and do not require case-sensitive data entries. Showing users their data entries can increase accuracy. For experienced users, the fastest possible entry of information will come from allowing users to use entry fields instead of selecting from list boxes.


Distinguish Required and Optional Data Entry Fields:

• Distinguish clearly and consistently between required and optional data entry fields.
• Users should be able to easily determine which data entry fields are required and which are optional. Many Web sites are currently using an asterisk in front of the label for required fields. Other sites are adding the word 'required' near the label. One study found that bolded text is preferred when compared to the use of chevrons (>>>), checkmarks, or color to indicate required fields.

Label Pushbuttons Clearly:

• Ensure that a pushbutton’s label clearly indicates its action.
• The label of a pushbutton should clearly indicate the action that will be applied when the pushbutton is clicked. Common pushbutton labels include 'Update,' 'Go,' 'Submit,' 'Cancel,' 'Enter,' 'Home,' 'Next,' and 'Previous.'

Label Data Entry Fields Consistently:

• Ensure that data entry labels are worded consistently, so that the same data item is given the same label if it appears on different pages.
• If possible, employ consistent labeling conventions. For example, do not use single words or phrases for some labels and short sentences for others, or use verbs for some and nouns for others.

Do Not Make User-Entered Codes Case Sensitive:

• Treat upper- and lowercase letters as equivalent when users are entering codes.
• Do not make user-entered codes case sensitive unless there is a valid reason for doing so (such as increased security of passwords). If required, clearly inform users if they must enter codes in a case specific manner. When retaining data entered by users, show the data as it was entered by the user.

Label Data Entry Fields Clearly:

• Display an associated label for each data entry field to help users understand what entries are desired.
• Employ descriptive labels that clearly, concisely, and unambiguously define the required entry. Make labels distinct enough so that readers do not confuse them with the data entries themselves. This can be done by bolding the labels or providing other visual cues, such as an asterisk.
• Do not create new jargon when labeling data entry fields. Use common terms (e.g., male, female) rather than arbitrary labels (e.g., Group 1, Group 2). If the meaning of a proposed label is in doubt, conduct usability testing with an appropriate sample of qualified users.

Minimize User Data Entry:

• Do not require users to enter the same information more than once.
• Requiring re-entry of data imposes an additional task on users, and increases the possibility of entry errors. When entries made by users on one page are required on another page, the computer should retrieve the original entries, rather than requiring re-entry of the same information. In general, require users to make as few entries as possible.

Put Labels Close to Data Entry Fields:

• Ensure that labels are close enough to their associated data entry fields so that users will recognize the label as describing the data entry field.
• All labels and related information should be close to the data entry field to enable users to easily relate the label and entries required.

Allow Users to See Their Entered Data:

• Create data entry fields that are large enough to show all of the entered data without scrolling.
• Users should be able to see their entire entry at one time. There always will be some users who will enter more data than can be seen without scrolling; however, try to minimize the need to scroll or move the cursor to see all the data for that field. If there is a character limit for a particular field, state that near the entry field.
• Designers should be particularly aware of the length of data entry fields used for entering search terms. One study found that this entry field should be at least 35-40 characters long to accommodate ninety-five percent of search terms being used.

Use Radio Buttons for Mutually Exclusive Selections:

• Provide radio buttons when users need to choose one response from a list of mutually exclusive options.
• Radio buttons should be used when there is a need to select from among mutually exclusive items. Users should be able to click on the button or its text label to make their selection. Assign one of the radio button choices as the default when appropriate. One study reported that for making mutually exclusive selections, radio buttons elicit reliably better performance than drop-down lists. Radio buttons are also preferred over both open lists and drop-down lists.

Use Familiar Widgets:

• Use widgets that are familiar to your users, and employ them in their commonly used manner.
• Do not assume that all users are familiar with all available widgets. Unfamiliar widgets will slow some users, and cause others not to use the widget because they do not know how to make it work properly. For instance, one study showed that some users, particularly older users, do not know how to use a drop-down list.
• In choosing widgets, designers typically consider such issues as the amount of available screen 'real estate,' reducing the number of user clicks, and whether the user will be choosing one from among many items, or several items at once. Usability test the performance and acceptability of widgets to ensure they do not confuse or slow users.

Anticipate Typical User Errors:

• Use the computer to detect errors made by users.
• Do not expect that users always will make correct entries. Anticipate possible user errors, and when possible, allocate responsibility to the computer to identify these mistakes and suggest corrections. For example, if a date is entered as 'February 31,' the computer should generate an error message asking for a revised entry.
• Design the site's search engine (and other places where users enter data) to accommodate common misspellings and certain other errors.

Partition Long Data Items:

• Partition long data items into shorter sections for both data entry and data display.
• Partitioning long data items can aid users in detecting entry errors, and can reduce erroneous entries. For example, it is easier to enter and verify a ten digit telephone number when entered as three groups, NNN-NNN-NNNN. Similarly, ZIP+4 codes and Social Security numbers are best partitioned.

Use a Single Data Entry Method:

• Design data entry transactions so that users can stay with one entry method as long as possible.
• Do not have users shift back and forth between data entry methods. Requiring users to make numerous shifts from keyboard to mouse to keyboard can substantially slow their entry speed.

Prioritize Pushbuttons:

• Use location and highlighting to prioritize pushbuttons.
• If one pushbutton in a group of pushbuttons is used more frequently than the others, put that button in the first position. Also make the most frequently used button the default action, i.e., that which is activated when users press the Enter key.
• One study reported that designers should place the button most likely to be clicked on the left side of a two-button set of buttons. This button arrangement allows the user to read the first button label, and since it is the most likely selection, click on that button immediately. Some users look at the left and then right button before making a selection, preferring to be fully informed before submitting a response.

Use Check Boxes to Enable Multiple Selections:

• Use a check box control to allow users to select one or more items from a list of possible choices.
• Each check box should be able to be selected independently of all other check boxes. One study showed that for making multiple selections from a list of non-mutually exclusive items, check boxes elicit the fastest performance and are preferred over all other widgets. Users should be able to click on either the box or the text label.

Label Units of Measurement:

• When using data entry fields, specify the desired measurement units with the field labels rather than requiring users to enter them.
• Designers should include units such as minutes, ounces, or centimeters, etc. as part of the data entry field label. This will reduce the number of keystrokes required of users (speeding the data entry process), and reduce the chance of errors.

Do Not Limit Viewable List Box Options:

• When using open lists, show as many options as possible.
• Scrolling to find an item in a list box can take extra time. In one study, an open list that showed only three (of five) options was used. To see the hidden two items, users had to scroll. The need to scroll was not obvious to users who were not familiar with list boxes, and slowed down those that did know to scroll.

Display Default Values:

• Display default values whenever a likely default choice can be defined.
• When likely default values can be defined, offer those values to speed data entry. The initial or default item could be the most frequently selected item or the last item selected by that user. In general, do not use the default position to display a heading or label for that widget.

Place Cursor in First Data Entry Field:

• Place (automatically) a blinking cursor at the beginning of the first data entry field when a data entry form is displayed on a page.
• Users should not be required to move the mouse pointer to the first data entry field and click on the mouse button to activate the field. Designers should consider, however, that programming this automatic cursor placement might negatively impact the performance of screen reader software.

Ensure that Double-Clicking Will Not Cause Problems:

• Ensure that double-clicking on a link will not cause undesirable or confusing results.
• Many users double-click on a link when only one click is needed. Developers cannot stop users from double-clicking, but they should try to reduce the negative consequences of this behavior. Usability testing has indicated that if users start with quick double-clicks, they tend to continue to do this for most of the test. Sometimes, when both clicks are detected by the computer, the first click selects one link and the second click selects a second link, causing unexpected (i.e., puzzling) results.

Use Open Lists to Select One from Many:

• Use open lists rather than drop-down lists to select one from many.
• Generally, the more items users can see in a list (without scrolling), the faster their responses will be, and the fewer omission errors they will make. Ideally, users should be able to see all available items without scrolling.
• When compared with drop-down lists, open lists tend to elicit faster performance primarily because drop-down lists require an extra click to open. However, if a list is extremely long, a drop-down list may be better. The available research does not indicate the upper number limit of items that should be displayed in a list.

Use Data Entry Fields to Speed Performance:

• Require users to enter information using data entry fields (instead of selecting from list boxes) if you are designing to speed human performance.
• At least two studies have compared the effectiveness of text entry versus selection (list boxes) for entering dates and making airline reservations. Both studies found text entry methods were faster and preferred over all other methods. However, use of text entry fields tends to elicit more errors.

Use a Minimum of Two Radio Buttons:

• Never use one radio button alone.
• Use at least two radio buttons together. If users can choose not to activate any of the radio button choices, provide a choice labeled 'None.'

Provide Auto-Tabbing Functionality:

• Provide auto-tabbing functionality for frequent users with advanced Web interaction skills.
• Auto-tabbing can significantly reduce data entry times for frequent users by not requiring them to manually tab from field to field.

Minimize Use of the Shift Key:

• Design data entry transactions to minimize use of the Shift key.
• If possible, designers should not require users to enter characters that require the use the Shift key. Using the Shift key imposes a demand for extra user attention and time. For example, the designer can include symbols such as the dollar or percent sign near data entry fields rather than requiring users to enter those characters. Designers also can treat upper- and lowercases as equivalent when entered by users.

Source:[usability.gov]

Graphics, Images, and Multimedia

Graphics are used on many, if not most, Web pages. When used appropriately, graphics can facilitate learning. An important image to show on most pages of a site is the organization's logo. When used appropriately, images, animation, video, and audio can add tremendous value to a Web site. When animation is used appropriately, it is a good idea to introduce the animation before it begins.

Many images require a large number of bytes that can take a long time to download, especially at slower connection speeds. When images must be used, designers should ensure that the graphics do not substantially slow page download times. Thumbnail versions of larger images allow users to preview images without having to download them.

Sometimes it is necessary to label images to help users understand them. Usability testing should be used to help ensure that Web site images convey the intended message. In many cases, the actual data should be included with charts and graphs to facilitate fast and accurate understanding.

It is usually not a good idea to use images as the entire background of a page. Complex background images tend to slow down page loading, and can interfere with reading the foreground text.

Experienced users tend to ignore graphics that they consider to be advertising. Designers should ensure that they do not create images that look like banner ads. Also, they should be careful about placing images in locations that are generally used for advertisements.


Use Simple Background Images:

• Use background images sparingly and make sure they are simple, especially if they are used behind text.
• Background images can make it difficult for users to read foreground text. A single, large, complex background image (including a picture) can substantially slow page download rates. If background images must be employed, use small, simple images with 'tiling,' and/or keep the image resolution as low as possible.

Label Clickable Images:

• Ensure that all clickable images are either labeled or readily understood by typical users.
• Occasional or infrequent users may not use an image enough to understand or remember its meaning. Ensure that images and their associated text are close together so that users can integrate and effectively use them together. Additionally, alt text should accompany every clickable image.

Ensure that Images Do Not Slow Downloads:

• Take steps to ensure that images on the Web site do not slow page download times unnecessarily.
• User frustration increases as the length of time spent interacting with a system increases. Users tolerate less delay if they believe the task should be easy for the computer. One study reported that users rated latencies of up to five seconds as ’good.’ Delays over ten seconds were rated as ’poor.’ Users rate pages with long delays as being less interesting and more difficult to scan. One study reported no relationship between slow page download times and users giving up.
• To speed download times, use several small images rather than a single large image on a page; use interlacing or progressive images; and use several of the same images. Designers should also minimize the number of different colors used in an image and put HEIGHT and WIDTH pixel dimension tags in an image reference. To achieve faster response time for users with dial-up modems, limit page size to less than 30,000 bytes.

Use Video, Animation, and Audio Meaningfully:

• Use video, animation, and audio only when they help to convey, or are supportive of, the Web site's message or other content.
• Multimedia elements (such as video, animation, and audio) can easily capture the attention of users; therefore, it is important to have clear and useful reasons for using multimedia to avoid unnecessarily distracting users. Some multimedia elements may take a long time to download, so it is important that they be worth the wait.
• Used productively, multimedia can add great value to a site's content and help direct users' attention to the most important information and in the order that it is most useful.

Include Logos:

• Place your organization's logo in a consistent place on every page.
• Users are frequently unaware when they click through to a different Web site. Having a logo on each page provides a frame of reference throughout a Web site so that users can easily confirm that they have not left the site. Ideally, the logo should be in the same location on each page: many designers place the logo in the top left corner.

Graphics Should Not Look like Banner Ads:

• Do not make important images look like banner advertisements or gratuitous decorations.
• In a recent study, a graphic developed to inform users about access to live help was not clicked because many users thought it was an advertisement. Even though the graphic was larger than most other graphics on the page, some users missed the item completely because the graphic looked too much like a decoration or a banner advertisement.

Limit Large Images Above the Fold:

• Do not fill the entire first screenful with one image if there are screensful of text information below the fold.
• Large graphics that cover most of the screen at the top of the page suggest to users that there is no more information below the graphic. In one study, because a graphic filled the screen, some users did not use the scrollbar to scroll down to more content. In fact, some users did not even suspect that more information might be located below the fold.

Ensure Web site Images Convey Intended Messages:

• Ensure that Web site images convey the intended message to users, not just to designers.
• Users and designers tend to differ in what they think is appropriate to convey a message. When attempting to select the best graphic from a set of graphics, users tend to select those that most other users would have selected (i.e., those that look familiar), while most developers favor graphics that look more artistic. One study found that seventy-five percent of users are able to find information on a content and link-rich site, whereas only seventeen percent could find the same information on a graphic-intensive site.

Limit the Use of Images:

• Use images only when they are critical to the success of a Web site.
• Ensure that a Web site’s graphics add value and increase the clarity of the information on the site. Certain graphics can make some Web sites much more interesting for users, and users may be willing to wait a few extra seconds for them to load. Users tend to be most frustrated if they wait several seconds for a graphic to download, and then find that the image does not add any value. Some decorative graphics are acceptable when they do not distract the user.

Include Actual Data with Data Graphics:

• Include actual data values with graphical displays of data when precise reading of the data is required.
• Adjacent numeric annotation might be added to the ends of displayed bars on a bar graph, or to mark the points of a plotted curve. Some displays may require complete data annotation while others may require annotation only for selected data elements.

Display Monitoring Information Graphically:

• Use a graphic format to display data when users must monitor changing data.
• Whenever possible, the computer should handle data monitoring and should call abnormalities to the users' attention. When that is not possible, and a user must monitor data changes, graphic displays will make it easier for users to detect critical changes and/or values outside the normal range.

Introduce Animation:

• Provide an introductory explanation for animation prior to it being viewed.
• Providing an explanation of animation before it begins will help users better integrate the animation and associated content. In other words, briefly explain to users what they are about to see before they see it. Also, allow animation to be user-controlled. The user should be able to pause, stop, replay, or ignore animation or other multimedia elements.

Emulate Real-World Objects:

• Use images that look like real-world items when appropriate.
• Images (e.g., pushbuttons and navigation tabs) are likely to be considered as links when they are designed to emulate their real-world analogues. If a designer cannot make such images emulate real-world objects, the image may require at least one additional clickability cue, such as a descriptive label (like 'Home' or 'Next') or placement on the page. A text label can help inform users about a link's destination, but in one study some users missed this type of image link, even those that contained words, because the words were not underlined.

Use Thumbnail Images to Preview Larger Images:

• When viewing full-size images is not critical, first provide a thumbnail of the image.
• By providing thumbnails of larger images, users can decide whether they want to wait for the full image to load. By using thumbnails, those who do not need or want to see the full image are not slowed down by large image downloads. Link the thumbnail image to the full-size copy.

Use Images to Facilitate Learning:

• To facilitate learning, use images rather than text whenever possible.
• The superiority of pictures over text in a learning situation appears to be strong. For example, pictures of common objects are recognized and recalled better than their textual names. Exceptions seem to occur when the items are conceptually very similar (e.g., all animals or tools), or when items are presented so quickly that learners cannot create verbal labels.

Using Photographs of People:

• Photographs of people may or may not help build trust in Web sites.
• In one e-commerce study, having a labeled photograph on the Web site was perceived as more trustworthy than having a photograph with no label. Further, having a photograph with no label was perceived as more trustworthy than having no photograph at all. Highly experienced users showed the same degree of trust as users that were moderately experienced or inexperienced.
• However, another study recommended that photos not be used to increase the trustworthiness of a Web site. They found that the presence of a photo did not affect the trust of a site, or user preferences for a site.

Source:[usability.gov]

Webhosting.uk.com launches Hyper-V Windows 2008 VPS Hosting

The company states that Hyper-V represents the next era of virtualization, allowing them and their customers to get the most out of their sever investments and usage. Another aspect of Hyper-V virtualization which sets it apart from other virtualization platforms is the ability to run a number of different operating systems in parallel on a single physical server.

The new VPS servers are hosted on the most powerful Dual Quad Core server with 12-16 GB RAM and RAID arrays for redundant data protection and replication. The entry-level Hyper-V Starter plan includes 15 GB of data storage, 300 GB of monthly data transfer, and access to 512 MB of server RAM while Plesk control panel is optional. When combined with the company’s managed services, 24/7 support and reputation for experience and reliability, the new VPS offering positions Webhosting.uk.com VPS plans as the industry’s leading virtual server solutions.

"With the addition of Hyper-V Windows 2008 VPS to our existing portfolio, we are glad to offer our customers a user friendly and reliable virtualization platform for hosting their Web applications and services" states James Anderson, Business Development Manager of WEBHOSTING UK COM LTD. He adds further "With Hyper-V VPS hosting plans, customers are going to have the same level of control as on a dedicated server, but they will be paying significantly lower prices."

[gawkwire]

Web Hosting Sales and Promos Roundup

There was a wide range of creative sales and promotions for the week ending June 26, including discounts in areas of web hosting including reseller hosting, online backup, web hosting tutorials, disaster recovery, and domains.

midPhase Launches $1 Reseller Hosting Program:

For the next 30 days Turnkey web hosting solutions provider midPhase (www.midphase.com) will provide new and existing customers with an unlimited number of websites to resell for only $1 for designers, developers and entrepreneurs seeking to launch their own startups. Regularly valued at $24.95 per month, the midPhase package includes 100 GB of webspace, 1000 GB of bandwidth, an unlimited number of accounts to resell, custom name servers, client billing software, dedicated IPs, unlimited SSL certificates and 50 advanced anti spam and stat applications, as well as unlimited cPanel accounts.

Webserver.com.my Launches Windows Hosting Plan; 50-Percent-Off Coupon:

Weeks after launching its Linux hosting service, Malaysian web host Webserver.com.my (www.webserver.com.my) has released its second cost effective web-hosting plan based on high-end windows servers. Originally priced at 796 Ringgits (about $225) per year, Webserver.com.my is offering a 50-percent-off coupon.

Memopal Online Backup Offers 30 Percent Off to Customers Switching to Memopal:

Memopal Online Backup (www.memopal.com) started its "Switch to Memopal" promotion this week, offering a 30 percent discount to users of other online backup providers who decide to switch to Memopal. Memopal's online backup and storage software package archives files

from Windows, Mac and Linux computers in real-time, on remote servers. The 30 percent discount offer is valid from June 15 until September 15, 2009.

DemoWolf Spring Sale Ends Next Week:

Web hosting tutorial provider DemoWolf (www.demowolf.com) has marked down all its tutorials by 50 percent as part of its spring sale, which ends June 30, 2009. DemoWolf also offers a number of "Savings Bundles," which offer a variety of tutorials at discounted prices.

DemoWolf is also offering a discount in conjunction with the launch of its newest product, "Demo Pages," which offers a pre-built page to guide customers to DemoWolf tutorials as either a simple hyperlinks page, a "Floatbox" option, or a "Nested Floatbox" option. Customers who order $150 or more of new tutorials, can choose the Demo Page option of your choice for free until June 30, 2009.

Online Tech Launches Cost Effective SAN Disaster Recovery Hosting:

In conjunction with upcoming Dell seminars, where it will demonstrate SAN-to-SAN replication at its data centers, managed data center operator Online Tech (www.onlinetech.com) has launched a SAN Disaster Recovery Package, and is offering a secondary SAN for only $399 per month including Internet connectivity. The primary SAN data, snapshots, and restoration points are replicated at a secondary SAN for disaster recovery at a separate data center.

Domain.com Offers "Domain Day" Monday, Giving Away 30 Domains:

In an effort to lessen the sting of Mondays, domain registrar and web host Domain.com (www.domain.com) will give away free domains to the first 25 people who visit Domain.com and enter their emails, as well as another five for Tweets sent Monday between 9am-1pm Pacific that include the hashtag #domainday and explain why their Monday is so miserable.

"When people wake up Monday morning, now things won't be so bad because it's Domain Day," Domain.com product marketing manager Doug Cobb said in a statement. "I personally love to win things Monday morning. Friday is now second best in my book." The contest began June 22, and will run every Monday until July 20.

[thewhir]

Peer 1 to offer global cloud service hosting

US web hosting company Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc, which now also operates out of the UK, has launched a global cloud hosting service so that prospective cloud application providers can develop, test and run cloud applications on a high performance 10GB infrastructure.

Basically, the CloudXcelerator programme will let providers offer cloud applications on Peer 1's global hosting infrastructure, and gives them access to the company's managed hardware and network assets.

The web hosting company said, "As Peer 1 offers global hosting, with data centres across the globe, this programme lets cloud providers host with one company as opposed to hosting with different hosting companies to cover different regions."

It is claimed that going with a single hoster will help providers bring cloud offerings to fruition faster, more reliably and much cheaper than other options.

Peer 1 is among the top five US web service providers, and has 15 data centres worldwide from which it offers a range of services from managed hosting and support services to dedicated hosting through its ServerBeach brand. It competes with the likes of Rackspace, NetBenefit and Savvis.

It has been announced today that UK-based ElasticHosts is the first to join Peer 1's EMEA CloudXcelerator programme, enabling it to speed up roll-out of its cloud infrastructure products and be able to offer dual redundant availability zones in Europe.

The business provides cloud capacity for scalable web hosting and on-demand burst computing such as batch processing, development and test, and disaster recovery.


[cbronline]

Lists

Lists are commonly found on Web sites.These may be lists of, for example, people, drugs, theaters, or restaurants. Each list should be clearly introduced and have a descriptive title. A list should be formatted so that it can be easily scanned. The order of items in the list should be done to maximize user performance, which usually means that the most important items are placed toward the top of the list. If a numbered list is used, start the numbering at 'one,' not 'zero.' Generally only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, unless a word that is usually capitalized is shown in the list.

Order Elements to Maximize User Performance:

• Arrange lists and tasks in an order that best facilitates efficient and successful user performance.
• Designers should determine if there is an order for items that will facilitate use of the Web site. If there is, ensure that the site is formatted to support that order, and that all pages follow the same order. For example, ensure that lists of items, sets of links, and a series of tabs are in a meaningful order.
• Where no obvious order applies, organize lists alphabetically or numerically. Keep in mind that it is the user's logic that should prevail rather than the designer's logic.

Place Important Items at Top of the List:

• Place a list's most important items at the top.
• Experienced users usually look first at the top item in a menu or list, and almost always look at one of the top three items before looking at those farther down the list. Research indicates that users tend to stop scanning a list as soon as they see something relevant, thus illustrating the reason to place important items at the beginning of lists.

Format Lists to Ease Scanning:

• Make lists easy to scan and understand.
• The use of meaningful labels, effective background colors, borders, and white space allow users to identify a set of items as a discrete list.

Display Related Items in Lists:

• Display a series of related items in a vertical list rather than as continuous text.
• A well-organized list format tends to facilitate rapid and accurate scanning. One study indicated that users scan vertical lists more rapidly than horizontal lists. Scanning a horizontal list takes users twenty percent longer than scanning a vertical list.

Introduce Each List:

• Provide an introductory heading (i.e., word or phrase) at the top of each list.
• Providing a descriptive heading allows users to readily understand the reason for having a list of items, and how the items relate to each other. The heading helps to inform users how items are categorized, or any prevailing principle or theme. Users are able to use lists better when they include headings.

Use Static Menus:

• Use static menus to elicit the fastest possible speed when accessing menu items.
• To elicit the fastest possible human performance, designers should put the most frequently used menus times in the first few positions of a menu. Designers should determine the location of items within a menu based on the frequency of use of each item. Adaptable menus, where users are allowed to change the order of menu items, elicits reasonably fast performance as well. The slowest performance is achieved when an adaptive menu, where the computer automatically changes the position of menu items, is used. One study found that users prefer having static menus, rather than adaptive menus.

Start Numbered Items at One:

• When items are numbered, start the numbering sequence at 'one' rather than 'zero.'
• Do not start the numbering with a 'zero.' When counting, people start with 'one,' not 'zero.'

Use Appropriate List Style:

• Use bullet lists to present items of equal status or value, and numbered lists if a particular order to the items is warranted.
• Bullet lists work best when the items do not contain an inherent sequence, order, or rank. Numbered lists assign each item in the list an ascending number, making the numerical order readily apparent. Numbered lists are especially important when giving instructions.

Capitalize First Letter of First Word in Lists:

• Capitalize the first letter of only the first word of a list item, a list box item, check box labels, and radio button labels.
• Only the first letter of the first word should be capitalized unless the item contains another word that would normally be capitalized.

Source:[usability.gov]

RESTful Services With ASP.NET MVC

A RESTful service is a web of resources that programs can navigate. When designing a RESTful service, you have to think carefully about how your web will work. This means designing resource representations with links that facilitate navigation, describing service input somehow, and considering how consumers will navigate around your service at run time. Getting these things right is often overlooked, but they're central to realizing the full potential REST has to offer.

Today, humans navigate sites using Web browsers that know how to render HTML and other popular content types. HTML provides the syntax and semantics for establishing links between resources (<a> element) and for describing and submitting application input (<form> and <input> elements).

When a user clicks on an <a> element in the rendered page, the browser knows to issue an HTTP GET request for the target resource and render the response. When a browser encounters a <form> element, it knows how to render the form description into a user interface that the user can fill out and submit using either a GET or POST request. When the user presses a submit button, the browser encodes the data and sends it using the specified request. These two features are largely responsible for the success of the Web.

Using links in conjunction with the universal HTTP interface makes it possible to redirect requests to new locations over time and change certain aspects of security on the fly without changing the client code. A standard approach for forms means that you can add or remove input properties and change default values, again without changing the client code. Both features are very useful for building applications that evolve over time.

Your RESTful services should also somehow provide these two features through whatever resource representation you decide to use. For example, if you're designing a custom XML dialect for your service, you should probably come up with your own elements for establishing links and describing service input that will guide consumers through your web. Or you can simply use XHTML.

Most developers don't immediately consider XHTML as an option for "services," but that's actually one of the ways it was intended to be used. XHTML documents are by definition well-formed XML, which allows for automated processing using standard XML APIs. And since XHTML is also HTML, it comes with >, <form>, and <input> elements for modeling link navigation and service input as I described earlier. The only thing that's a little strange at first is how you model user-defined data structures-however, you can model classes and fields with <div> and <span> elements and collections of entities with <ol>and <li> elements. I'll walk through how to do this in more detail later in the article.

To summarize, there are several reasons to consider XHTML as the default representation for your RESTful services. First, you can leverage the syntax and semantics for important elements like <a>, <form>, and <input> instead of inventing your own. Second, you'll end up with services that feel a lot like sites because they'll be browsable by both users and applications. The XHTML is still interpreted by a human-it's just a programmer during development instead of a user at runtime. This simplifies things throughout the development process and makes it easier for consumers to learn how your service works. And finally, you can leverage standard Web development frameworks to build your RESTful services.

ASP.NET MVC is one such framework that provides an inherently RESTful model for building XHTML-based services. This article walks through some XHTML design concepts and then shows you how to build a complete XHTML-based RESTful service that you can download from the MSDN Magazine site.


[msdn.microsoft.com]

NEOTEC Upgrades Web Presence

The Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium has announced the launch of its newly redesigned Web site, which features updated information and an enhanced format that will assist companies with business support services and regional economic development initiatives.

The site focuses on NEOTEC’s four core services -- Foreign-Trade Zone 181, the International Trade Assistance Center, the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network and the Global Business Development Initiative -- and provides resources and links to related sites.

According to Ron DeBarr, NEOTEC president and CEO, the redesigned Web site is easy to navigate, yet provides a tremendous amount of valuable business support information for companies located in Northeast Ohio as well as for domestic and foreign companies considering expansion plans into the region.

"NEOTEC is a central point of contact for businesses, economic development professionals and site selection consultants who are interested in Northeast Ohio," DeBarr said. "Our new Web site offers a broad range of information to assist them in the areas of international trade, logistics, and global business development."

NEOTEC is a regional economic development partnership of 10 Northeast Ohio counties, including Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.


[business-journal]

Building the Next-Generation Web Experience

Corporations building the next generation of user experience will have four attributes, and companies will need five skills to meet the challenge, according to Moira Dorsey, Forrester Research vice president and research director, who spoke at Forrester's Customer Experience Forum 2009.

She said that the ideal Web experience of the future will be Customized, Aggregated, Relevant and Social (with the acronym "CARS" as a mnemonic). She pointed to several services that take advantage of social networking and aggregation to deliver customized and relevant data to users.

Many mobile applications fit the bill -- but certainly not all. One that does is the Wikitude travel guide that aggregates content from multiple sources, uses GPS to determine where the user is, and then tells the user about their location.

Another is an app called Shop Savvy for the Android and iPhone that lets users search for an item, find out which stores nearby have it, and either call the store and reserve it or put them item on a wish list for sharing or to receive price alerts.

Stop imitating paper and be the Web

These sites succeed by taking full advantage of the Internet. "New forms of technology start by imitating older forms and then evolve into their true forms," said Dorsey.

As an example, she pointed to the Benz Patent Motorwagen of 1886 which looks more like a carriage than a modern day car. Even the famous Ford Model T required a hand crank to start. "The Austin 7 RK Saloon of 1928 was a car that you or I could start." She meant that in the Austin 7, the controls were located where a modern driver would expect them to be.

The first Web page appeared in 1991. In 1992 it still looked like a piece of paper.

"We've been working on the Web for ten years," said Dorsey. "It took the car 50 years to find its true form. The online experience has yet to find its true form."

But indications of change are in the air. Dorsey pointed to the increasing adoption of mobile devices, to the development of new interfaces, and to the proliferation of new Web sites and content creators as forces that will drive change within corporate Web design.

Follow customers and don't expect them to come to you

"We need an online experience that can span devices, sites, and locations," she said. She added that there are five things that companies can do to get ready.

Ccompanies will need to conduct more in-depth research to find the devices and channels that people use. Companies will use this data to create multi-channel personas, prototypical customers that will influence how a company tries to reach customers.

Dorsey said that surveys are not enough. Companies will need to conduct virtual ethnographic research in order to find out what people are actually doing -- not just what they say they're doing.

She said that companies will need to "atomize content and functionality to send content to where the customers are" and pointed to a recent Avis ad in which customers could reserve a car from within the banner without going to the Avis Web site as one example of how to do it right.

She said that companies will be developing new things that are so complex that they will need to test the user experience before they deploy.

Finally, Dorsey said that companies will need "mad design skills." She said that designers will need to build projects that span sites, devices and applications and that the developer experience will be "like designing software."

In the question and answer session, she admitted that not every company will need to have the most advanced online program. "Find where you can offer the most value," she said. "Deliver an experience that enables you to get the most value. It has to be useful first, then enjoyable."

But there's no avoiding some complexity. "Once you move from within your own Web site to delivering an online experience, the training wheels come off," Dorsey warned.

[internetnews]

10 Questions To Get Answered Before Choosing A Web Host

by Amy Armitage

It is particularly important for individuals and SMBs (Small and Medium-sized Businesses) that build their own websites, or spend very precious capital to do so, to find a good web hosting plan. If you are just now getting up to speed in this area, it is important that you know how quickly things change in this industry. In addition, you need to know what the basic components of a good hosting plan are, and learn to compare apples with apples, as they say.

It used to be crucially important to pick the right web host, as there were fly-by-night firms actually ripping people off and running away to Belize or somewhere. Things have settled down quite a bit, and there are scores of hosting firms to choose from, all of which are reputable and honest. It may still be true that some hosts have better uptime statistics or offer better deals, but as long as you stay with an established host you should not have any problems with rip-offs.

After making a list of potential companies, you should get these 10 questions answered before choosing a web host:

1. Will you get unlimited disk space?

You certainly can't afford to run out of disk storage space when people are relying on your site to provide important information or services. Most of today's plans, even low-cost ones, feature unlimited disk space, a testament to how much the price of hard drives has come down.

2. Is there unlimited bandwidth?

This term refers to the amount of traffic that can be sent back and forth, to and from your site. When a lot of people want to connect to your site at the same time, limited bandwidth is a real problem and a business-killer, too. Again, even low-cost plans now offer unlimited (or extremely high amounts of) bandwidth.

3. Is there a 99.9% uptime guarantee?

No web host can honestly guarantee 100% uptime, but many hosting services get very close. A standard in the industry is now 99.5%, but leading hosts will advertise a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

4. Do you get free setup?

Setup fees were appropriate at one time when the tools were less powerful and the process less automated. There is currently no reason in the world to pay setup fees, and companies that advertise that they "waive" these fees are essentially imputing a value to something they wouldn't charge for anyway.

5. Do you get subdomains allowing for unlimited sites?

You may begin your Internet strategy with a single site, but when you want to launch others you will need a way to do that, and without setting up a new domain at new cost. This option is quite important, as subdomains (with the format, subdomainname.maindomainname.com) allow you to spread out and create other separate online entities that may not be strictly related to the main domain's purpose.

6. Is 24/7 support available, and how much of it is from real people?

Some hosting services don't let customer call by phone, which should throw up a red flag. Support is absolutely critical, so make sure it's available, and the best companies will provide it in several ways-via e-mail, online web forms, chat and phone calls to real human beings.

7. Do you get installed software for databases, scripting, email, etc.?

Even if you don't understand or make use of Perl, CGI, MySQL, PHP or other acronyms you've been told are important, you do need them. You can make use of them through graphical-interface applications that ease the process, or your IT consultant or employee can handle all of it. You do need these.

8. Is the cPanel hosting tool used?

This is by far the most useful control panel for managing sites, and is made available by many of the leading hosts. If not cPanel, what tools are offered? If you can't find much information in a web search about the toolkit being used by a potential host, considering choosing only a host company that has this one available. The cPanel took is the best example of its kind.

9. Is the plan affordable?

Many hosting plans start at under $10 per month. That's very affordable, but you can do even better by paying for a year's hosting service in advance. When you start requiring e-commerce components and huge database access, your hosting cost will increase, of course.

10. Are there contracts, excessive fine print and/or hidden fees?

Everything in the plan should be made crystal clear from the beginning. Read every word of the user terms and conditions, and don't sign up for anything if you don't understand them. If you start hearing about extra fees, scratch the company off your list of potential hosts.

[domaininformer]

Web Host Verio Launches New Linux VPS Program Exclusively For Channel Partners

Verio Inc., the leading provider in delivering online business solutions to SMBs worldwide, including web hosting, application hosting and Software as a Service (SaaS), has announced a new Linux Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting program designed exclusively for viaVerio channel partners. Developed to help partners grow their business and secure new customers, this program offers some of the most competitively priced VPS solutions on the market today.

Available immediately, Verio will offer lower pricing on all new Linux VPS plans purchased and partners will receive discounts of up to 50% on buy prices for select plans. This is a substantial savings over SRP and a significant discount that they can extend to their end user customers. Partners will continue to receive all of the same benefits, features, power and functionality of Verio's current Linux VPS solutions, but at a new lower price. Partners who qualify for the program will also have the ability to leverage the viaVerio Sales Team (VST) to secure new business. As part of the program, any new Linux VPS opportunity coming in directly to Verio will be passed over immediately to a partner to close. In addition, end user customers will receive a substantial discount only available to them by working with a viaVerio partner.

"This program truly demonstrates Verio's commitment to its channel partners and is one of the key reasons we wouldn't work with any other hosting provider," said Dean Bowen, President, Net-Flow Corporation. "Verio offers the highest margins in the industry and this is another resource that will help us increase our new customer base while significantly growing our revenues."

The viaVerio Partner Program is designed to offer web designers, developers, ISVs and MSPs turn-key solutions for selling Verio's hosting plans and services. Verio's partner program is renowned for its ease-of-use and business tools, making it simple to manage clients and accounts and to create a recurring revenue stream. The program also provides partners the tools and support needed to effectively market and sell Verio's diverse range of products.

"We are seeing strong demand for our Linux VPS solutions as SMBs further strengthen their online presence and it was important for us to create a program that would help our partners fully leverage this opportunity," said Scott Calvert, Senior Director of Channel Sales for Verio. "We announced our partner stimulus package earlier this year and this is just another way for us to invest in our partners and create programs that will help them grow their business in 2009 and beyond."

Verio is part of NTT, the 54th largest company in the world and is backed by NTTs world- class, tier 1 infrastructure. To learn more about this program or to join the viaVerio Partner Program, visit www.viaverio.com.


[hostsearch]

Free Web hosting still alive despite GeoCities' end

Another icon of the early Web will soon disappear.

GeoCities, one of the first free personal home page services that debuted in the 1990s, is shutting down later this year.

Before there was MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, there was GeoCities, Angelfire, Xoom and Tripod.

The concept was simple: Offer people free Web page hosting in exchange for small banner ads running on the hosted pages.

The appeal of these services was that they made the process of creating a Web page fairly easy for the average person. Templates and limited design options allowed the novice to quickly add his or her presence to the early Internet community.

For those who needed more than a simple static Web page, various levels of paid options were available.

I was among the 1.1 million users of GeoCities in the early days.

So was Richard Becker, Minot, who is still using GeoCities and who first alerted me to the impeding shutdown of the service.

"That's the site I use to build my Web page," Becker wrote in a recent e-mail. "Any suggestions on another site I can use that's free and which I could copy over what I have currently?"

You might be surprised to learn there are still hundreds of free Web page hosting services available for the person whose online needs are simple.

Indeed, a few of GeoCities' cousins are still operating such as Tripod (www.tripod.lycos.com) and Angelfire (www.angel-fire.lycos.com). They, along with other free services, are well aware of GeoCities' impending shutdown and are, to varying degrees, looking to be the new home for the soon to be displaced GeoCities residents.

There are a number of free hosting services that actually offer more in terms of disk space and more complex coding options than GeoCities. For example, 000webhost.com offers intermediate to advanced Web functions such as MySQL databases, PHP, cron jobs, custom error pages, password protected directories and more as part of their free package. For just a few dollars a month, the service offerings dramatically increase.

The key in moving to a new free hosting service is making sure the services you currently use in GeoCities match the services offered by the new host. Some hosts, for example, may offer you less online storage space than GeoCities. Others may want to force your Web pages into their template formats which would mean significantly changing the look and function of your exisitng site.

Also, rules governing things such as acceptable types of content and incorporation of mandatory ads may differ from GeoCities.

You'll also want to check on whether the new host offers ways to easily transfer the content from your existing site to the new service.

Bottom line: Finding a free Web host is easy. Making sure it meets your existing needs will take a little effort on your part.

TheFreeSite.com has a very good list of free Web host services and short descriptions of what those services offer (www.thefreesite.com/Free_Web_Space). You may want to start your search for a new digital home there.

Also, using your favorite search engine, do a search on "free web hosting services" for a good list of free hosting services.

In addition to the sites already mentioned, below are some specific sites worth checking out as replacements for your GeoCities account or if you're just interested in creating a simple, no cost Web presence:

50Megs: www.50megs.com

WebNG: www.webng.com

1Hwy: www.1hwy.com

FreeWebTown: www.freewebtown.com

Hostrator: www.hostrator.com

Webs: www.webs.com

WebSamba: www.websamba.com

eSmartStart: www.esmartstart.com

AtSpace: www.atspace.com


[bismarcktribune]

80% Of VARs Reselling Web Hosting Make A Profit

Two-thirds find it 'easy' to cross-sell web hosting to their existing customer base - Half increased average length of service per client as a result of reselling hosting Eighty percent of businesses that begin to resell web hosting in addition to their regular products or services earn a profit from the practice, according to research by Fasthosts Internet, (http://www.fasthosts.com), a web hosting provider. The survey of 793 resellers, also found that 66% found it "easy" to cross-sell hosting to their existing customer base, and 50 % have increased their average length of service per client as a result of reselling web solutions.

In today's difficult economic climate, the figures lend weight to the concept of reseller web hosting as a low risk and profitable way to develop an enterprise such as an IT or marketing related business. Fasthosts launched in the United States last fall with an aggressive launch offer, 1 year free unlimited reseller web hosting, offering an easy step to resell private label web solutions including web hosting and domain names. Fasthosts' unique philosophy provides resellers unlimited web space and bandwidth enabling them to create their very own packages (including hosting, domains and email solutions) and set their own prices.

Some 70% of Fasthosts resellers surveyed would recommend reselling web hosting to other businesses such as theirs. In 2008, the low investment costs involved make reseller web hosting a compelling business proposition. The research found that excluding monthly subscription fees, 61% of resellers invested less than $1,000 in setting up their own reseller hosting operation. A further 84% of those surveyed would recommend Fasthosts as a reseller partner.

Steve Holford, CMO of Fasthosts Internet, said, "In recent months, demand for reseller web hosting has been brisk as more IT related SMBs are seeking to diversify and add strings to their bow. By offering web solutions alongside existing services, many businesses find that they can bolster their revenues and protect their client relationships." The recurring fees model and healthy profit margins involved with web hosting can also be attractive for those under pressure to grow revenue streams. Sixty-four percent of resellers reported that they had increased overall "revenue per client" as a result of reselling web solutions.


[bsminfo]

Text Appearance

There are several issues related to text characteristics that can help ensure a Web site communicates effectively with users:

• Use familiar fonts that are at least 12-points;
• Use black text on plain, high-contrast backgrounds; and
• Use background colors to help users understand the grouping of related information.

Even though it is important to ensure visual consistency, steps should be taken to emphasize important text. Commonly used headings should be formatted consistently, and attention-attracting features, such as animation, should only be used when appropriate.

Use Black Text on Plain, High-Contrast Backgrounds:

• When users are expected to rapidly read and understand prose text, use black text on a plain, high-contrast, non-patterned background.
• Black text on a plain background elicited reliably faster reading performance than on a medium-textured background. When compared to reading light text on a dark background, people read black text on a white background up to thirty-two percent faster. In general, the greater the contrast between the text and background, the easier the text is to read.

Format Common Items Consistently:

• Ensure that the format of common items is consistent from one page to another.
• The formatting convention chosen should be familiar to users. For example, telephone numbers should be consistently punctuated (800-555-1212), and time records might be consistently punctuated with colons (HH:MM:SS).

Use Mixed-Case for Prose Text:

• When users must read a lot of information, use lower-case fonts and appropriate capitalization to ensure the fastest possible reading speed.
• Using 'mixed-case' fonts for reading prose text means that most letters will be lowercase, with all letters that should be capitalized being in uppercase. Most users have had considerable experience reading lowercase letters and are therefore very proficient at it.

Ensure Visual Consistency:

• Ensure visual consistency of Web site elements within and between Web pages.
• Two studies found that the number of errors made using visually inconsistent displays is reliably higher than when using visually consistent displays. Visual consistency includes the size and spacing of characters; the colors used for labels, fonts and backgrounds; and the locations of labels, text and pictures. Earlier studies found that tasks performed on more consistent interfaces resulted in (1) a reduction in task completion times; (2) a reduction in errors; (3) an increase in user satisfaction; and (4) a reduction in learning time.
• However, users tend to rapidly overcome some types of inconsistencies. For example, one study found that the use of different-sized widgets (such as pushbuttons, entry fields, or list boxes) does not negatively impact users' performance or preferences.

Use Bold Text Sparingly:

• Use bold text only when it is important to draw the user's attention to a specific piece of information.
• In the following example with the Field Identifiers bolded on the left, users spent about four times as long looking at the bold Field Identifiers than the non-bold Field Values. In the example on the right, participants spent more time looking at the bolded Field Values. In addition, the non-bold Field Values elicited better search accuracy rates than did the bold Field Values. In situations like this example, it is probably best to not use bold for either field identifiers or field values. In general, bold text should be used sparingly.

Use Attention-Attracting Features when Appropriate:

• Use attention-attracting features with caution and only when they are highly relevant.
• Draw attention to specific parts of a Web page with the appropriate (but limited) use of moving or animated objects, size differential between items, images, brightly-colored items, and varying font characteristics.
• Not all features of a Web site will attract a user's attention equally. The following features are presented in order of the impact they have on users:

1. Movement (e.g., animation or 'reveals') is the most effective attention-getting item. Research suggests that people cannot stop themselves from initially looking at moving items on a page. However, if the movement is not relevant or useful, it may annoy the user. If movement continues after attracting attention, it may distract from the information on the Web site.
2. Larger objects, particularly images, will draw users' attention before smaller ones. Users fixate on larger items first, and for longer periods of time. However, users will tend to skip certain kinds of images that they believe to be ads or decoration.
3. Users look at images for one or two seconds, and then look at the associated text caption. In many situations, reading a text caption to understand the meaning of an image is a last resort. Parts of images or text that have brighter colors seem to gain focus first.
4. Having some text and graphic items in brighter colors, and others in darker colors, helps users determine the relative importance of elements. Important attention-attracting font characteristics can include all uppercase, bolding, italics, underlining, and increased font size.

Use Familiar Fonts:

• Use a familiar font to achieve the best possible reading speed.
• Research shows no reliable differences in reading speed or user preferences for twelve point Times New Roman or Georgia (serif fonts), or Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana (sans serif fonts).

Use at Least 12-Point Font

• Use at least a 12-point font (e.g., typeface) on all Web pages.
• Research has shown that fonts smaller than 12 points elicit slower reading performance from users. For users over age 65, it may be better to use at least fourteen-point fonts. Never use less than nine-point font on a Web site.
• Traditional paper-based font sizes do not translate well to Web site design. For instance, Windows Web browsers display type two to three points larger than the same font displayed on a Macintosh. User-defined browser settings may enlarge or shrink designer-defined font sizes. Defining text size using pixels will result in differently-sized characters depending upon the physical size of the monitor's pixels and its set resolution, and presents accessibility issues to those individuals who must specify large font settings.

Color-Coding and Instructions:

• When using color-coding on your Web site, be sure that the coding scheme can be quickly and easily understood.
• One study found that participants were able to answer questions significantly faster when the interface was color-coded, but only when information about the color-coding was provided. When both color-coding and information about how to interpret the colors were provided, user performance improved by forty percent. Be sure that the information provided does not require the user to read and comprehend a lot of text to understand it.

Emphasize Importance:

• Change the font characteristics to emphasize the importance of a word or short phrase.
• Font characteristics that are different from the surrounding text will dominate those that are routine. Important font characteristics include bolding, italics, font style (serif vs. sans serif), font size (larger is better to gain attention), and case (upper vs. lower). When used well, text style can draw attention to important words.
• The use of differing font characteristics has negative consequences as well–reading speed can decrease by almost twenty percent, and thus should be used sparingly in large blocks of prose. Do not use differing font characteristics to show emphasis for more than one or two words or a short phrase. Do not use underlining for emphasis because underlined words on the Web are generally considered to be links.

Highlighting Information:

• Do not use two (or more) different ways to highlight the same information on one page.
• One study found that participants were able to complete tasks faster when the interface contained either color-coding or a form of ranking, but not both. The presence of both seemed to present too much information, and reduced the performance advantage by about half.

Source:[usability.gov]

How Accessibility Is Important To Any Website Design

Over recent years the Internet has become one of the most used sources for research of products and services. In fact 60% of people use the Internet to find a local business service and a further 60% go on to use a service they have found online.

However, there are drawbacks that many web design companies have yet to face. There is a large amount of people that suffer from a range of disorders including colour blindness, hearing problems and no or reduced use of their arms or hands. They find that many web sites do not cater for their needs and therefore become frustrated with certain limitations online.

The Creare Group is a web design and SEO company who make their sites accessible for as many people as possible. They develop their sites to cater for many different needs and comply with the equipment that many people with disabilities use. Sites designed for their customers are dependent on requirements asked for by the customer specifically.

Colour blindness affects more men than women where on average 3% of the population suffer from this condition. There are different types of colour blindness but all cases need to be considered when developing a web design.

The Creare Group develops their web sites with colours in mind to help with SEO campaigns. Links need to be obvious and stand out from the text or have text decoration. Colours too close to each other or those that cause problems for colour blind suffers, will cause frustration and not effectively use the site causing potential sales to be lost.

As well as not seeing colours there is a large percentage of people who suffer from poor eye site or partial blindness. For accessibility it is integral that the text on a web site is can vary in size to allow users to adjust accordingly. This is just another step that The Creare Group take to ensure that their web site designs cater for all needs by being fully functionally and accessible.

Often web sites have the addition of videos but more often than not have no way of letting hard of hearing users know the content. The Creare Group is working towards installing subtitles to follow the words alongside the speaker. This is still in development but this helps to maintain the high standards that The Creare Group try to achieve in ever area of their web design.

"Our aim is to make businesses a success, however you need customers to make this happen. We make our web sites accessible but understand there are more developments we can do to make sure we cater for all online users." Mike McKinlay MD

The Creare Group is proud of their achievements to making their sites - inlcuding ecommerce web design - more accessible. It is vital to find the right company to develop web design so customers are never alienated and can access your site without frustration.

For more information visit www.crearedesign.co.uk

[officialwire.com]

Website Design: Company Offers Over 5000 Templates For One Payment

Dream Templates Offers Over 5000 Templates For One Payment, you no need to learn HTML programming or trouble yourself with website design or even pay a small fortune to a website designer to get the website you want.

Usually what puts people off creating a website is the cost of paying a website designer to create your vision at an astronomical cost to you. It is either that or spend 3 years learning html and then pay lots of money for some web design software in order to proceed.

This is where dream templates comes in. Dream Templates have designed thousands of templates which you can browse through and for a one off payment you can use whichever templates you want. There is no need to learn any programming at all just enter your text and get your website up on the web live.



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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this website is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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[officialwire.com]